


my world is filled with cheer (and you)

by onlytakesataste



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Childhood Friends, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, College, F/F, Fluff, High School, Moose, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21527176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlytakesataste/pseuds/onlytakesataste
Summary: I'm not great at summaries, but Emma and Alyssa have been best friends since kindergarten, and through the years Christmas has become a really special holiday for the pair. Basically there's a lotta fluff and there puppies and babies and all the things :)
Relationships: Alyssa Greene & Emma Nolan, Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	my world is filled with cheer (and you)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This fic started just as a little idea about Nugget, but then I fell in love with Winter so she god added as well. I came across a Christmas fic prompt on tumblr and then it spiraled into this: my longest fic yet! It's kind of dumb but its also super sweet. Hope you like it!
> 
> Title is from the song This Christmas :) 
> 
> (PS- Winter is included in this fic but it does not take place in the same universe as my other two WinterFics)

**_2008_ **

“Emma, that’s _not right_!” Alyssa scolded.

Emma looked up from her drawing to find her best friend giving her a critical look from across their shared desk.

“What do you mean?” Emma asked.

Alyssa sighed, “We’re in 2nd grade, Em. You should by now that Santa has _reindeer_. And he doesn’t ride them, they pull his sleigh.” 

Emma thought for a moment before picking her crayon back up and confidently pushing her glasses up her nose.

“Hm. Well _my_ Santa has a moose,” Emma said. “And mooses are stronger than reindeer so Santa rides him to everyones’ houses.” Emma began shading in the body with a brown crayon before adding, “It’s much more efficient.” 

Alyssa couldn’t help but giggle at Emma’s imagination. The two had been best friends since kindergarten, and it seemed like they spent most of their time together playing make believe and imagining the most magical worlds possible. House was one of their favorite games, but they never could agree on who got to be the mom. One day they decided they should both be the moms and ignored Shelby and Kaylee’s comments about how that was wrong. Who cared if their family had two moms? That was the magic of Emma and Alyssa’s world. It was theirs to create and no one else’s.

“I like that. We should write a letter to Santa and suggest he finds a moose,” Alyssa said through a smile.

It was then that the two girls burst into a fit of laughter, thinking of all the possibilities for Santa’s “magic moose.” As their laughter grew, they earned the glances of some of their other classmates who were silently working on their own drawings, but the girls only stopped when the teacher made her way over to their table.

“Emma. Alyssa. This is supposed to be whisper work,” Mrs. Bringas reminded them. “The next time I have to come over here I’ll have to separate you two again,” she added with a stern but kind look.

“Sorry, Mrs. Bringas,” the girls said in unison, beginning to reel in their giggles. As their teacher walked away, Emma and Alyssa turned back to their drawings, faces flushed with laughter and smiles still plastered in place. Santa’s magic moose might not have been one of their craziest creations, but little did they know that over the course of their lives, it would become one of the most meaningful.

**_2015_ **

For the next few years, the magic moose was a Christmas staple for Emma and Alyssa. But now they were in the 8th grade and past the age of make believe. Now, the girls were 13 and Christmas meant shopping for the perfect Christmas outfit and Secret Santa parties with friends.

Christmas wasn’t the only thing that had changed for Alyssa over those 6 years. Emma was still her best friend, of course, but now Alyssa knew why it felt so normal for their games of house to have two moms when they were younger. Alyssa realized that’s how she wanted her family to be. While the other girls in her grade were beginning to fawn over boys, Alyssa had always felt distant. But then she thought back to when she was younger and it hit her. She couldn’t dote over boys because she had feelings for girls. But there was another thing Alyssa learned; she learned why Shelby and Kaylee always said that having two moms in a game of house was wrong. And she learned that her very own mom felt the same way. So, she kept it a secret. No one could know how she felt about girls, not even Emma, which began to prove difficult in December of their 8th grade year when Alyssa realized that not only did she like girls, but she _really_ liked her best friend. 

“Okay,” Kaylee slid into the open seat next to Alyssa at the cafeteria. “Are you guys ready to draw names for Secret Santa?”

Alyssa, Emma, Shelby, Hayden, and Carrie all nodded in response. 

“Yay! My mom said we can do the gift exchange at my house next weekend! So once we all pick names we’ll have a week to find the perfect gifts. And remember, no telling anyone who you have until AFTER we exchange gifts,” Kaylee said.

“And there’s a $25 limit, to keep things fair,” Shelby added.

“Right,” Kaylee said as she shuffled scraps of paper with their names written on them into a plastic cup. “Okay, Em, you first.”

Emma reached into the cup and pulled out a piece of paper. A thoughtful expression spread across her face as she read the name. Alyssa leaned over to try and catch a glance and who she got, but Emma quickly crumpled the paper in her hand and shoved it into her pocket.

“Hey! No peaking, Greene,” Emma said, gently nudging Alyssa with her elbow. Alyssa playfully pouted but then shifted her glance to look at Emma’s face. God, Emma Nolan had the most beautiful eyes on this planet. Had they always sparkled like that? They held each other’s gaze for a few moments, and Alyssa could’ve sworn she saw Emma’s eyes flicker down to her lips, but that was probably just her imagination, obviously. 

The moment was broken when Kaylee cleared her throat. Alyssa jumped slightly before turning back to the table and frantically popping a strawberry into her mouth, trying to act cool and collected. 

“Okay, Lys. Last one is for you,” Kaylee handed the last paper to Alyssa. She opened it and glanced down at the name scribbled there.

**Emma Nolan**

Oh god. Years ago, when Alyssa’s parents and Emma’s parents had a bit of a falling out, the girls decided they wouldn’t buy each other presents for birthdays or Christmas anymore. Instead, they would take the time to do something together, since it became harder for them to spend time together outside of school. This would be the first Christmas since 5th grade where Alyssa would get to buy Emma a present, and it had to be perfect.

That night, Alyssa sat on the floor of her room with a notebook, racking her brain for the perfect gift for Emma. She wanted it to be special and to capture how she felt about her, without necessarily screaming “I’m gay and I like you.” 

In all honesty, Alyssa knew she could tell Emma how she felt and it wouldn’t change anything. Emma was the most caring and understanding person in her life, and she would never turn on Alyssa. But telling Emma meant saying it out loud for the first time, and Alyssa wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear herself admit what she had spent so long trying to hide. So, in the meantime, Alyssa just wanted to show Emma how much their friendship meant to her.

After a few hours of brainstorming, Alyssa had an idea. It was small, and maybe kind of silly, but it’s something only Emma would understand. It was perfect.

\----------------------------

“Emma! Hey sweetie, the girls are all downstairs. I’ll take your present and bring it down with the others in a bit so no one knows whose is whose.”

Emma smiled at Kaylee’s mom and stepped inside, out of the cold. “Thanks, Mrs. Klein,” Emma said as she handed the woman her neatly wrapped gift and her coat.

After greeting Kaylee’s border collie, Princess, Emma headed downstairs into the basement where all the other girls were already giggling and decorating sugar cookies. Alyssa was the first to notice her walking down the stairs, and Emma didn’t miss the way her best friend’s face instantly lit up upon seeing her. Of course, it was just because they were such good friends. Alyssa was straight and Emma was straight… well, she was straight as far as anyone else was concerned.

So maybe she wasn’t straight. At all. Not that this was news to Emma, she’s always known. She’s also always known how her parents feel about people who are gay. She remembers a trip to Disney when she was 5 with her mom and dad. They saw a man propose to another man in front of Cinderella’s castle. As quickly as the first man got down on one knee, Emma’s mom pulled her in the opposite direction, but Emma wasn’t sure why. Lots of people got married. What was wrong with these people? It wasn’t until her dad found an employee and began angrily asking _how they could allow something like that to happen in a place for children_ , that she learned that her parents were very much not okay with the idea of a man marrying a man or a woman marrying a woman. Emma knew better than to ask why it was so wrong, and she also knew that telling people she liked girls would never be an option. 

Something that was new to Emma was her crush on her best friend. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but when they started 8th grade things were different. Good different. For a while Emma chalked it up to not seeing Alyssa all summer while she was at bible camp, but after a few weeks, the realization began to sink in that Emma had developed feelings for her. Some days Emma noticed things that made her think Alyssa maybe felt the same way, but she couldn’t get her hopes up. Sure, Alyssa never participated in the boy conversations at lunch, but it was probably because she was shy. Sometimes Emma would play Alyssa a new song she learned on the guitar and when she finished Alyssa would look at her like she had just hand painted the sky, but that was probably just because she really liked the song.

So, as Emma walked into the small party, she did her best to ignore the way her stomach flipped upon meeting Alyssa’s brown eyes.

“Emma’s here!” Shelby nearly screamed as she dropped the cookie she was icing onto a plate and ran to tackle Emma in a hug.

Emma laughed as she regained her balance, only to be attacked with hugs from the rest of her friends. After everyone had been properly greeted in proper 13 year old girl fashion, the group settled in a circle on the floor next to a small Christmas tree that Kaylee had added to the room for the occasion. Mrs. Klein brought the gifts down and arranged them under the tree, ready to be opened.

“Hayden, since you got here first, how about you open yours first?” Kaylee suggested. 

Hayden nodded and grabbed the present that had her name on the tag. After inspecting the packaging and shaking the box a few times for good measure, Hayden tore into the box to find a new set of Christmas pajamas with matching socks. 

“I love them!” Hayden said as she held up the set to her body to model the look. The girls laughed at her exaggerated “model face” and poses.

The exchange went on like that, with Carrie opening a new eyeshadow pallette and Alyssa opening a sparkly purple case for her phone. Shelby was up next, and Emma did her best to conceal the smirk on her face. She was Shelby’s Secret Santa, and she knew her gift was going to cause a fit of laughter from everyone. Besides Alyssa, Shelby was Emma’s closest friend. They were nowhere near Emma and Alyssa’s level, but in a weird way, Shelby and Emma were always on the same wavelength. They laughed at things no one else found funny and came up with the weirdest pranks to play on each other.

Shelby grabbed the bag out from under the tree and removed the tissue paper. Shelby’s eyes went wide as she looked inside the bag and began laughing so hard she fell backwards until she was lying down. Emma had to bite the inside of her cheek as to not give herself away. Through bouts of laughter, Shelby managed to grab the bag and turn it upside down. The rest of the girls joined Shelby in laughing when thousands of tiny plastic babies fell out of the bag.

“Even though I’m pretty sure I know who got me these, thank you. This is the best Christmas ever,” Shelby said, wiping tears off of her face.

Once some sense of order had been regained and Shelby’s gift was back in her bag, it was Emma’s turn to open her present. Emma looked at the last two presents under the tree and picked up the one with her name on it. It was in a bright red bag with green tissue paper popping out of the top. After discarding the paper, Emma reached in and pulled out something caused a quiet gasp to leave her lips. A stuffed moose. There was not a single doubt in Emma’s mind who her Secret Santa was.

“Magic moose,” Emma whispered.

“What now?” Carrie looked at Emma with a confused look on her face. This snapped Emma out of the subtle transe the gift had brought her into. Emma shook her breath and cleared her throat.

“Oh nothing. I just love moose,” Emma said. “I love him,” she added, giving the stuffed animal a hug. As subtly as she could, Emma looked up at Alyssa with a knowing glance. Even from her spot across the circle from Alyssa, Emma could see the way the brunette bit her lip in a (failed) attempt to hide the blush from spreading across her cheeks. Emma blushed too, before both girls turned their focus to Kaylee, who had just opened a sparkly pink collar and leash for Princess. 

After a few hours of Christmas movies and more cookie decorating, Mrs. Klein called for Alyssa and Hayden because their parents had arrived. The girls said their goodbyes, Alyssa saving Emma’s goodbye for last. The brunette captured the blonde in a tight hug and Emma hoped Alyssa couldn’t feel the way her heart was practically beating right out of her chest. 

With her mouth muffled by crazy brown curls Emma turned so her lips were closer to Alyssa’s ear. 

“Thank you for my magic moose. I can’t believe you remembered,” Emma whispered so only Alyssa could hear. Alyssa pulled away from the hug so she could look at Emma, but still kept her hold on her shoulders.

“How could I forget?” Alyssa smiled.

“But I didn’t get you anything,” Emma realized out loud.

“Because you weren’t supposed to. That’s not how the game works, Nolan. Just promise me your grandma is still taking us snow tubing on Friday and we’re good.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Emma said.

“Good,” Alyssa responded as she pulled Emma into another quick hug before making her way towards the stairs. “By the way, you might want to read the tag that’s attached to his neck,” Alyssa said, pointing to the moose Emma was still holding. Emma opened her mouth to respond but closed it as Alyssa was already giggling as she turned to race Hayden up the stairs.

Before she had a chance to look at the note, Emma’s parents arrived so she decided to wait until to read it. When Emma finally made it home after a long car ride of her parents discussing their church plans for the next day, she bounded up to her room and removed the tag from the stuffed animal.

**The magic moose lives on.**

**Merry Christmas, Emma Nolan.**

**My world is a million times better**

**because I get to share it with you.**

**Love, Alyssa**

Emma smiled as she read the note. She wiped away a tear that had escaped from hazel eyes as she folded the note and slipped it into her guitar case, the one place she knew she would never lose it. 

Who knew if Alyssa had feelings for her, and in this moment, that didn’t really matter. Right now, Emma was happy just to have Alyssa Greene in her life. Emma and Alyssa had created their own little world together, and as long as they had each other, they had everything.

**_2018_ **

“Lys! How’s Canada?”

“ _Boring. Moderately homophobic. Cold.”_ Alyssa groaned through the phone.

“Wow. It’s like you’re still in Edgewater,” Emma said as she plopped down on her bed. 

Of course Mrs. Greene chose this year, the first year Emma and Alyssa would be spending Christmas as an actual couple (albeit a secret couple), as the perfect time to visit her sisters in Ontario for the holiday. With Alyssa being in the middle of nowhere, this was the first time she had the chance to call Emma as she was spending the day in the city shopping with her cousins. Alyssa had texted Emma a bit earlier to tell her she was going to sneak away from her cousins at some point so she could call her. Emma _might_ have spent the hour and 28 minutes after that text pacing around her room waiting for the call, but no one can prove that.

“ _At least Edgewater has you_ ,” Alyssa said. 

“Cheeseball,” Emma teased. 

“ _Keep making fun of me and I’ll return the present I just got you_ ,” Alyssa warned.

“So we are doing presents this year?” Emma asked as she rolled over and pulled the stuffed moose that Alyssa had given her 3 years prior into her chest.

“ _Oh well, yeah I just figured that since- I mean, you don’t have to get me anything obviously. I just thought-”_

“Lys, of course I’m going to get you something,” Emma cut off her girlfriend’s nervous rambling. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.” Emma could hear Alyssa’s sigh of relief at her words.

“ _Okay,”_ Alyssa breathed. “ _I get back on the 28th. I can come over to Betsy’s the next day and we can have our own Christmas?”_

“That sounds perfect, baby,” Emma said. 

When Emma came out, a lot of things had gone wrong. One of those things being the fact that her own parents kicked her out. Luckily, her grandmother loved Emma regardless of her sexuality and had taken her in. When Emma and Alyssa went from being best friends to being more, Betsy was the one person they told. Alyssa wasn’t ready to come out, but both girls knew Betsy was someone they could trust. Plus, it was nice to have somewhere to be together and not have to pretend like they weren’t dating.

“ _Shit, my cousins found me. I have to go but I’ll see you in a few days?”_

“Yes you will. I’ll see you soon,” Emma said, trying to disguise the disappointment in her voice that their call was being cut short.

“ _Emma?”_

“Yeah?’

“ _Merry Christmas,” Alyssa said._

“Merry Christmas, Lys,” Emma responded before she heard Alyssa end the call. She let her phone fall next to her on the bed before begrudgingly standing up and finding some nicer clothes to wear. It was already December 23rd so she officially had 6 days to find a gift for Alyssa, and she wasn’t going to waste any time.

\----------------------------

When Alyssa walked into Betsy’s home on the 29th, she was greeted with the scent of warm cookies and peppermint hot chocolate. Betsy called for Emma as Alyssa walked into the living room. There she found a fire roaring in the fireplace, a spread of cookies on the coffee table along with two mugs of hot chocolate, and a single present neatly wrapped under the tree. Alyssa placed her gift for Emma under the tree as well and smiled when she turned around to see Emma making her way into the room. 

“Welcome home, Alyssa,” Emma said as she wrapped her girlfriend in a tight hug, pressing her lips to the side of her head. After a long moment, she pulled back slightly, moving her head to capture Alyssa’s lips in a kiss. This kiss wasn’t hard or aggressive, but it also wasn’t a soft peck. Emma tried to pour just how much she had missed Alyssa into that kiss, but she wasn’t sure if that was even possible.

The two pulled away and giggled when Betsy cleared her throat behind them.

“Well, I’m going to head upstairs and let you two have your Christmas,” Betsy said. “Let me know if you girls need anything.” 

As soon as Betsy was gone, Emma once pulled Alyssa into her embrace. They stayed that way for a few minutes, relishing in the warmth that the other gave. This time, Alyssa was the one to pull away and peck Emma’s nose. Alyssa loved watching the way Emma’s nosed scrunched at the feeling, so she did it once more for good measure.

“Okay I know Christmas isn’t about presents but I really want you to open mine so can we do that first?” Alyssa said as she pulled Emma to sit by the tree. Emma laughed at Alyssa’s joyful spirit and sat next to her girlfriend on the floor.

“Of course we can. But I get to give you my gift first,” Emma said.

“Fine. But only because I missed you,” Alyssa pouted. 

Emma handed her the neatly wrapped box from under the tree. Alyssa carefully tore away the silver wrapping paper and lifted the lid from the cardboard box. She squinted her eyes in confusion as she pulled out a stack of envelopes. 

“What’s this?” Alyssa asked as she flipped through the stack. Each was labeled with a note that said “Open when….” and a different situation.

“I tried going shopping to find something for you, but nothing felt right. Nothing felt like it could show you just how happy I am to finally be with you, so I wrote it all down,” Emma explained. “When you’re feeling sad, you can open that one. When you’re mad at me, you can open that one. There’s a bunch.” Emma reached into the box and pulled out a red envelope, “you can open this one now.”

Alyssa smiled at the way Emma handed her the card and then immediately looked down to hide the blush that crept to her cheeks. Before she opened the envelope, Alyssa leaned over and kissed Emma gently on the lips, telling her how much she already loved the gift, without even having to use the words.

Alyssa pulled the card out of the envelope and her breath hitched in her throat at the familiarity of the words scribbled on the card.

**Merry Christmas, Alyssa Greene.**

**My world is a million times better**

**because I get to share it with you.**

**Love, Emma**

Through tear filled eyes, Alyssa looked up at Emma. She couldn’t believe that after all this time Emma had remembered what Alyssa had said to her when they were 13. Alyssa smiled as Emma’s thumb met her cheek to wipe away a stray tear. She leaned into the touch and sighed in content.

“You should’ve let me go first. There’s no way my present is going to beat this,” Alyssa said.

“Try me,” Emma responded. Alyssa grabbed the box from behind her and handed it to her girlfriend, trying to ignore the nervousness that was bubbling up inside of her.

Emma popped the lid off of the box and pulled out a brown bag of chocolate. Before Emma could say anything, Alyssa spoke up.

“Turn it over,” she said. Emma did as she was told and turned the bag over in her hands. She laughed when she saw the name of the candy in big yellow letters across the bag,

“Moose poop?!” Emma exclaimed as a fit of laughter overcame her body. Alyssa relaxed when Emma’s reaction wasn’t one of disappointment, and she allowed herself to laugh along. 

“It’s _magic_ moose poop,” Alyssa said as Emma laughed harder. 

“Is this what shopping in Canada is like?” Emma asked.

“Rural Ontario makes Edgewater look like New York City,” Alyssa rolled her eyes. “But look in the box, there’s more.”

Emma set the bag of candy down next to her and pulled a thin silver bracelet out of the box. On it, there was a little charm with the letters A and E engraved in it.

“Alyssa,” Emma whispered as she ran her fingers over the letters.

“Full transparency, the letters actually stand for American Eagle. It sounds dumb but when I saw it there I thought of us. I figured that it was subtle enough that you could wear it without anyone knowing what it really means, for us,” Alyssa explained.

Now Emma’s eyes were welling up with tears. She slipped the bracelet around her wrist and pulled Alyssa into a firm kiss. When they pulled apart, Alyssa grabbed Emma’s hand and looked deep into hazel eyes.

“I love you, Emma Nolan,” Alyssa said.

Alyssa momentarily regretted the confession upon hearing Emma’s breath hitch in her throat. But when she looked into Emma’s hazel eyes, she realized that didn’t regret it at all. She was in love with Emma Nolan and she wanted her to know it. It was okay if Emma couldn’t say it back, Alyssa just needed Emma to know the extent of how she felt about her.

“Alyssa Greene, I’ve been in love with you since you gave me that stuffed moose in the 8th grade,” Emma let out a watery laugh.

“You-” Alyssa was at a loss for words.

“I love you, too,” Emma said, this time more confidently.

Alyssa leaned forward and captured Emma’s bottom lip between her own, kissing her gently but firm. Emma smiled into the kiss, and Alyssa used the opportunity to lick slightly into Emma’s mouth eliciting the sweetest whimper. Alyssa pulled away and the girls giggled softly at the puddle of emotions they had become. Emma sat back and grabbed the bag of candy from next to her and tore it open, popping a chocolate into her mouth.

“The magic moose lives on,” Emma said with a smirk. Alyssa rolled her eyes and grabbed a cookie from the table.

“The magic moose lives on.”

**_2022_ **

Emma was usually one to sleep through the night, so she was surprised when she opened her eyes to a dark room and a clock that read **2:28 AM**. She let out a tired hum and rolled over to find the space next to her empty. At least now it made sense why Emma had woken up. She was so used to Alyssa’s body next to her while she slept, her absence must have woken her up. Rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes and slipping on her glasses, Emma stood up and walked quietly past Nugget’s crate at the foot of their bed as to not wake the snoring puppy. She slipped into the hallway and noticed the light was on in the living room. Emma padded her way down the hall and leaned against the entryway into the room where Alyssa was diligently arranging presents under the tree.

“Lys?” Emma whispered. Alyssa nearly dropped the present she was holding at the shock of hearing Emma’s voice and quickly turned around to face her.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Alyssa asked as she did her best to hide whatever she was doing.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Emma noted as she walked into the room, looking around at all of the presents that hadn’t been there when they went to bed a few hours prior.

“Shh, keep your voice down. I don’t want Nugget to wake up,” Alyssa whispered. “I’m putting out her presents.”

Emma had to hold back the laugh that bubbled up in her at the serious expression across Alyssa’s face when she spoke.

“What do you mean? We put out the presents before we went to sleep.” Emma was now really confused, but not at all shocked by her girlfriend’s antics when it came to their dog. 

Back in February, Emma had begged Alyssa to let them get a puppy, an idea that Alyssa had strongly opposed. After a few weeks on persuading, Alyssa had agreed. They adopted Nugget and Emma watched how over her first few weeks in their home, Alyssa grew from despising the idea of a pet, to loving the scruffy puppy. Alyssa treated Nugget like she was a human baby. On special occasions Alyssa made her special meals, and she had even bought her puppy pajamas for her first Christmas. Really, Emma knew she should have expected Alyssa to go above and beyond with the presents.

“Yeah, but those presents were from us,” Alyssa said as it was the most obvious thing in the world before turning back to the stocking she was filling.

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but closed it in favor of moving towards the tree to inspect all of the new presents that had been laid out. There must have been at least 15 more presents than there had been when Emma was last there, and they were all addressed to Nugget, from Santa.

“Santa, babe? Seriously? She’s a puppy,” Emma said, but instantly regretting it. Alyssa turned around with a hurt expression painted across her face.

“She’s a puppy but she’s our _child,_ Emma,” Alyssa retorted. “She deserves a visit from Santa too.” Emma really did love how much Alyssa loved their dog, so she wasn’t about to argue. 

“That’s fair,” Emma said, “But where did you hide all of this stuff? I didn’t even know we had more gifts.”

Alyssa smirked as she hung the stocking up on the fireplace, “The North Pole, babe.” Alyssa kissed Emma on the nose before grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards their bedroom. “And no telling Nugget that you snuck out to see Santa.” 

Emma flipped off the light and followed Alyssa back to bed

“My lips are sealed.”

\----------------------------

When Alyssa woke up the next morning, it was at the hands (well, paws) of a 60 pound golden doodle “puppy.” She hadn’t even opened her eyes yet when she felt two wet paws on her chest and a long tongue lap across her face. In the grogginess of her half awake state, she heard Emma giggle. Alyssa rolled over and cracked her eyes open, giving Nugget the attention she was asking for.

“Merry Christmas, babe,” Emma smiled as she hung Nuggets collar on the hook. Alyssa shot up in bed as she realized what day it was.

“SHE DIDN’T GO IN THE LIVING ROOM YET RIGHT?” Alyssa flew out of bed and grabbed her robe. 

Emma, slightly shocked by her girlfriend’s sudden panic, was quick to respond, “No, no. We just went for a walk around the block. I took her out so we could open presents as soon you woke up.” Alyssa’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but they soon tensed again, but this time with utter excitement.

“Nuggie, should we go see if Santa came?” Alyssa crouched down next to the dog who was sloppily lapping up water from her bowl. She ruffled the fur on her head and called her to follow her into the living room. Like it was a race, Nugget bounded past Alyssa and Emma through the doorway and Alyssa ran frantically after her, not wanting to miss a moment.

“Emma! Get your phone! We need pictures of this!” Alyssa called as she ran past Emma as well.

When Alyssa ran into the living room, she found Nugget with her nose under the tree, already sniffing out all of the presents that had been left for her. She giggled as she walked up to the mantle to grab the stocking with the puppy’s name stitched across it.

“Nugget, stockings first buddy.” She sat on the couch with the stocking in her lap and allowed Nugget to sniff it carefully. While Nugget was inspecting the item, Emma joined Alyssa on the couch.

“You’re something else, Alyssa Greene,” Emma said as she pressed a kiss to Alyssa’s cheek. By this time, Nugget had adjusted to the scent of the stocking and removed it from Alyssa’s lap, taking it to the floor to begin pulling toys and treats out. Emma laughed and took out her phone to record the moment, but her laughter stopped when she looked through the screen and saw what Nugget was holding in her mouth.

“What’cha get, Nug?” Alyssa asked the puppy excitedly. Nugget looked up at her moms, proudly holding a moose chew toy in her mouth. Her tail was wagging wildly and she shook from side to side with excitement for her new toy.

“Alyssa…” Emma said quietly as she looked to the woman sitting next to her. Alyssa looked back at her and smiled. Alyssa loved this Christmas tradition they had started when they were 7 years old. In a weird way, finding a way to include the magic moose in their Christmases had became her favorite part of the holiday.

“We have a kid now, Em,” Alyssa said, “She should be a part of the magic moose fun, too, it’s the best part of Christmas.” Alyssa had a sheepish grin on her face as she felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

“It _is_ the best part about Christmas,” Emma agreed, “You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because just like we’ve been saying for years, magic moose only exists in our world. And our world is great because we have each other,” Emma said.

Alyssa felt a surge of emotion rush through her chest, because she couldn’t believe that 14 years after that day in second grade, she would be sharing her life with the girl who drew a picture of Santa riding a moose. Sure, the moose was just a silly creation from Emma and Alyssa’s imagination, but in a way it became a symbol for them of what they had with one another. Alyssa knew there would never be anyone else for her but Emma Nolan. She pressed forward to capture Emma’s lips in a kiss, and relished in the feeling of the intimacy of the moment. The kiss was only interrupted when Nugget jumped up on the couch and sat between them, still panting her tongue and wagging her tail.

“And now our world has you too, Nugs. Merry first Christmas sweet girl,” Emma smiled and kissed Nuggets nose.

Alyssa sat back and smiled at the scene before her, and she couldn’t help but wonder and hope that this is what all of her Christmas mornings would look like for the rest of her life.

**_2026_ **

The room was cozy and warm, and it reminded Alyssa of the first Christmas she and Emma had spent as a couple back in Indiana. She had just walked back inside their Brooklyn home after taking Nugget for a long walk. It had only been a month since she had given birth to Winter, but she was beginning to go a bit stir crazy. Alyssa was thankful that Emma made it home from work early on that particular Friday and offered to stay home with the baby for a bit so that Alyssa could get outside. In theory Alyssa could go outside whenever she wanted, but as first time moms, Emma and Alyssa didn’t want to take any chances with their newborn and the New York chill, so Alyssa was pretty much stuck inside all day. 

After removing Nugget’s leash and hanging up her coat, Alyssa made her way into the living room where Emma sat on the couch across from the fireplace and the brightly lit Christmas tree. She had her laptop on her lap and Winter was fast asleep in the bouncer next to her.

“Hi,” Alyssa hummed as she curled up next to Emma on the couch. She pressed her cold nose to Emma’s cheek and giggled at the way she jumped but struggled to keep quiet as to not wake up the sleeping baby.

“Did you have a good walk?” Emma asked, looking away from the computer screen to meet her wife’s brown eyes.

“The best. I can’t wait until next year and we can take Winter out to see the lights,” Alyssa said.

“Me too. But we can just think of this as Nugget’s adjustment Christmas, before she’s really not the center of attention anymore,” Emma noted.

At the sound of her name, Nugget jumped up on the couch and cuddled into Alyssa’s side. For four years Nugget had been the center of attention in Emma and Alyssa’s life, but over the last month she had to start adjusting to there being a new baby in the house. She took to it well, knowing she was only allowed on the couch when the baby wasn’t and knowing not to jump on Alyssa or Emma if Winter was in their arms. Alyssa scratched Nuggets belly and hummed in agreement. Alyssa glanced over to Emma’s laptop, where the blonde had gone back to scrolling.

“What are you looking for?” Alyssa asked, noticing Emma was doing some online shopping.

“I wanted to buy a swaddle for Winter to have on Christmas. Something special for her first one. Look,” Emma turned the screen towards Alyssa and showed her the cart. Emma had picked out a red plaid swaddle with accents of forest green and white. She had also picked out a dark green bow to put on her head.

“It’s cute, Em, but really? She’ll be six weeks old. It’s not like she’ll remember it,” Alyssa said, trying to be reasonable.

“Did you really just say that to me? You, Alyssa Greene, trying to tell me that it doesn’t make sense to buy our daughter something to wear on Christmas?” Emma said with a smirk.

“Well, yeah. Might as well just wait ‘til she’s older,” Alyssa shrugged.

“Oh, baby,” Emma sighed. She turned back to the computer and clicked the button that said **Confirm Checkout** before closing the laptop and standing up from the couch.

“What?” Alyssa wondered, following Emma into the kitchen. She watched as Emma pulled out two mugs and began making hot chocolate. Emma popped the mugs in the microwave and walked over to Alyssa, grabbing her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

“Love, you’ve bought our dog Christmas pajamas every year since we got her. Once we got Lady Bird you started buying them _matching_ Christmas pajamas,” Emma laughed, “You can’t seriously think I’m ridiculous for buying our human daughter a Christmas blanket.”

Alyssa studied the hazel eyes in front of her. Okay, yeah, when Emma put it like that, maybe her response had been a little ridiculous. Alyssa tried to hide the look of defeat on her face, but Emma’s smirk proved that she knew she had won.

“Okay, fine. I’m just not used to having a real baby at Christmastime,” Alyssa said, mumbling her words in a pout.

“If you can figure out how to give a dog the most extravagant first Christmas, I think Winter’s first Christmas will be just fine,” Emma smiled, pressing a kiss to Alyssa’s forehead. The microwave beeped and Emma quickly moved to open the door to stop the noise, but soft cries were already coming from the living room. 

“I’ll go get her,” Alyssa said, turning to leave the kitchen.

Alyssa walked into the living room and scooped up a crying Winter from her bouncer, making sure to give Nugget a scratch on the head as a thank you for taking her protective big sister stance at the food of the bouncer as soon as the baby made a noise. Alyssa rocked Winter gently while humming to calm her down. Once the baby was content, Alyssa sat on the couch with Winter in her arms. She looked at the little girl in front of her, admiring the short, dark curls on her head and her soft, pink, pursed lips. 

“I’m not sure what I’m doing,” Alyssa whispered to the baby with a soft laugh. “This is all new to me, but I promise I’m going to make sure you have the best first Christmas, baby girl.”

Alyssa looked up as Emma walked in and set their mugs of hot chocolate down on the coffee table. She relaxed into Emma’s embrace as Emma wrapped her arms around her. Emma leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Winter’s head before settling back into the couch.

Alyssa smiled and looked back down at the baby drifting back to sleep in her arms, “Winter Nolan-Greene, our world is a million times better because we get to share it with you.”

\----------------------------

Two weeks later, Emma found herself placing Winter in her bassinet, swaddled in the blanket she had so carefully picked out. She removed the bow from her head, just in case, and kissed wispy curls. Emma smiled when she felt her wife’s arms wrap around her waist from behind.

“You ready, Santa?” Alyssa pressed her lips to Emma’s ear, and the skin there immediately reacted to the feeling of Alyssa’s warm breath. Emma turned around so she was face to face with Alyssa, kissing her gently.

“Let’s do this,” Emma said. 

The girls double checked the baby monitor in their room before leaving Winter to sleep and heading into the living room. Emma went to the hall closet to pull out the gifts they had hidden away while Alyssa took a few bites out of Santa’s cookies. As she collected the gifts, all nicely wrapped in red and green, Emma felt that buzz of excitement that she saw in Alyssa all those years ago on Nugget’s first Christmas. 

Emma and Alyssa took their time arranging the gifts. Winter was only six weeks old but Christmas was a special time of year for the Nolan-Greene’s, and her mom’s were going to make sure that her first Christmas reflected that. After all of the stockings were stuffed and the presents were in place, the girls stepped back to admire their work. Emma draped an arm around Alyssa’s shoulder, who instinctively snuggled close.

“It’s perfect,” Emma whispered, resting her cheek on Alyssa’s head.

“Wait!” Alyssa said, snapping her head up and running off towards their bedroom. Emma turned to watch her, a confused expression painting her face. Had Alyssa done something special for Nugget again? She wouldn’t be surprised or upset, but Emma was just amused at the thought of her wife’s fixation on their dog. 

Moments later, Alyssa scurried out of their bedroom and went up to the Christmas tree. She hung an ornament right in the middle before taking a step back. Emma moved forward to join her and see what the ornament was.

“When I was a kid, Santa used to bring a new ornament every year,” Alyssa explained. “My favorite thing to do when I woke up on Christmas morning was to run to the tree and try and find the new ornament he left. I didn’t think about it when we got Nugget because, well obviously, but I figured that Winter’s first Christmas was the perfect year to start.”

Emma stepped looked closely at the ornament that Alyssa had hung on the tree. It was a family of three moose, all huddled together. The two bigger moose has Emma and Alyssa’s names on them, and the little moose in the middle had Winter’s name. Across the bottom there was a little banner that read “Winter’s First Christmas 2026.” Emma ran her finger across the writing as a tear fell down her cheek. She turned to Alyssa and pulled her close, allowing herself to feel every emotion about the occasion. There they were. 25 years old, living in New York City. They were happily (and legally) married, learning how to raise their beautiful daughter. As she sobbed gently into Alyssa’s shoulder, Emma wished she could go back in time and thank her 7 year old imagination for thinking that Santa should ride a moose.

“Thanks for being a part of my world, Alyssa Nolan-Greene,” Emma mumbled into curly hair. She couldn’t see Alyssa, but Emma could feel her wife relax and she sensed the smile that formed on her lips.

“Merry Christmas, Emma.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :) Love you all!!


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